One of the worst feelings in the world is the feeling that you are trapped in your own home. Your place of sanctuary shouldn’t be the thing that gives more cabin fever than you can handle. This situation lends itself to two outcomes: either you will move away, and make a great change in your life, or you will become complacent, and continue to be stuck. Ideally, if you are a person of adventure and progression, you will pick the former. However, it can be hard to know exactly the right time to move, which makes the fear of the unknown weigh heavily on the situation. There are several factors in your life, as well as the world around you, that may factor into this. Here are a few thoughts that might help you make a decision…

Areas of the country are experiencing a boom

It can be easy to feel like you are stuck in a rut in the city where you live if it becomes stagnant and stale. Not only does it make for a less fulfilling town to live in, but it may also mean poor things for your career if the growth is lackluster. At this time, it might be a good idea to take a look at some other places in the country that are experiencing a boom of growth and migration. When people begin to migrate, en masse, to a new location, it typically means that several industries in that area are beginning to explode. For example, Oregon’s growing tech industry, particularly in Portland, as well as the rapid growth of the marketing and advertising industry there, have made it the largest growing state in the country for the past three years (for more information on that phenomenon, check out this article here). The point is, it is often better, for many people, to spend their lives where big things are happening, so be aware of where those places are.

Notice the balance of wages in different parts of the country

On top of that last point, it is quite important to think about your career and if you are getting the most out of it in the location where you live. At times, the wages in one part of the country for a particular job may be drastically lower than in another part. Certainly, where wages are higher, the living expenses are more expensive. However, usually those expenses are not high enough to negate the obvious raise of living somewhere that pays more money. For this reason, it is important to be aware of the state of your industry, and which places are going to yield the highest rate of return for your talents. For more information on what causes wages to fluctuate in an area, check out this helpful article here.

Perhaps there is a specific accommodation you are looking for

Fish live in the water. Birds live in trees. Cows live in pastures (or sad, cement boxes). The point is, certain people may require specific, natural accommodations out of where they live. Oftentimes, the things that cause people to migrate, especially later in life, are due to situational factors like these. Some people need to move closer to sea level, for health reasons. Other people require warmth and humidity. And other people might need less sunlight, while others need more. These requirements are typically health related. Indeed, many health organizations also take advantage of the natural environment around them to offer a unique experience to their patients. For example, many addiction recovery centers are specifically destination based, and may make use of the mountains/desert/forests around them (to see the benefits of this, look at this article here). So when you are looking at which place you might like to settle down for a while, be thinking about these considerations, as well.

How have you and your goals changed?

People change throughout their lives. It’s one of the most natural parts of life, and helps create dynamic individuals who are always growing. The goals that people have earlier on in their lives may be entirely different in only a matter of years. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, but there might be something wrong with allowing yourself to get stuck doing something that you’ve decided is not right for you. For example, you may have moved to L.A. because you wanted to be the next big movie producer, but have discovered that your passions really lie in steamboat fishing. This means that L.A. may not be the place for you, right now. Whenever you are thinking about moving, take a good long look at your goals, so that you can discover exactly where you need to be to accomplish what you want to in life.